Expert: Food safety lax at eateries

by Nicole Norfleet - Jun. 13, 2010 12:00 AMAssociated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. - Here's an unappetizing thought: A review of restaurant food-safety practices found that a typical kitchen worker cross-contaminates food with potentially dangerous pathogens about once per hour.

Among the risky behaviors cited were workers using aprons and other garments to dry hands, as well as using the same utensils and surfaces to prepare both raw and cooked foods, according to a review by a North Carolina State University researcher.

Both practices are considered health violations, said Ben Chapman, an assistant professor and food-safety specialist who used cameras in eight restaurant kitchens to monitor worker food-safety habits.

Joan McGlockton, a food-policy representative for the National Restaurant Association, said that while the study is disconcerting, the group doesn't feel it is representative of the entire industry.

"We apply strong emphasis on employee training in areas of food safety to ensure that proper practices in hygiene, food handling and sanitation are in place in every food service outlet," she said in an e-mail.

Americans experience about 76 million food-borne illnesses a year. While most of these cases are mild, food-borne illnesses cause about 5,000 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.